Vodka Chicken with Zucchini and Mushrooms

This is another recipe from my MFP pal Meaghan, and it’s my favorite kind of recipe… chop everything up and toss it in the crock pot and turn it on. The basis of this recipe is chicken and vodka pasta sauce. The veggies can be whatever you like. Since I had just had some Japanese food with grilled zucchini and onions I remembered that I did in fact like zucchini. The mushrooms were, well because I’ve been trying to add more mushrooms to things. They add a lot of flavor and texture and the pound of mushrooms I used was… what? 40 calories? Basically nothing.

First I washed and chopped the zucchini and added it to the crockpot. Next I tossed in the mushrooms and wow did it look like a whole lot of mushrooms. I thought it was gonna be way too many, but of course they ended up cooking down quite a bit as mushrooms are wont to do. The zucchini is hiding in there somewhere. Seasoned the veggies with salt and pepper. Now the hard part (not really). Lay the chicken breasts over the veggies and pour on the sauce. No need to cut the chicken since it will shred nicely after 10 hours in the crock pot. Slap on the lid, turn the crockpot to low and go to work! (or just let it cook all day). Ok, so even on low, mine was boiling away when I got home, kinda burnt on the sides and the zucchini basically disintegrated into mush. Neither of these affected the flavor, just texture. Not the prettiest dish I’ve ever made, but it was yummy. Toss on a healthy dose of Parmesan cheese and dinner is served!! Nutrition wise, this is not a bad dinner. I had mine with pasta, but it would be equally good with rice or by itself. This made 4 (large) servings.

About Me

I am a recent graduate in Food Science (NC State, 2009) and I work for a major food manufacturing company. I love food, but I can no longer eat anything that crosses my path. About 24 months ago I begin a serious struggle to get my obesity under control and reduce my chances of developing Type II diabetes. Since September of '09 I have lost 50 pounds and I still have a long ways to go. I've started eating better and exercising more, including taking up running.